Authority

A Secretary of State, an Auditor, a Treasurer, a Superintendent of Public Instruction, an Attorney General, a Commissioner of Agriculture, a Commissioner of Labor, and a Commissioner of Insurance shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State...

Elections

North Carolina elects Agriculture Commissioners in Presidential election years. For North Carolina, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 are all agriculture commissioner election years. They are elected to a four-year term, which begins the first day of January following the election.

Vacancies

If a vacancy occurs in the office, the Governor appoints another to serve until a successor is elected and qualified. Every such vacancy shall be filled by election at the first election for members of the General Assembly that occurs more than 60 days after the vacancy has taken place, and the person chosen shall hold the office for the remainder of the unexpired term fixed in this Section.

Duties

The Commissioner of Agriculture is in charge of the 1,400+ employees and 17 divisions that make up the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Their primary goal is "maintaining and enhancing the ability of agriculture to produce an adequate supply of food and fiber in North Carolina," as well as enforcing regulatory programs.[1]

Divisions

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is under control of the Commissioner of Agriculture. The Department has 19 main divisions.[2]

Agronomic Services Division

The Agronomic Services Division "analyzes soil samples, plant, solution and irrigation water samples, and animal, municipal and industrial wastes. Recommendations made by these services are designed to improve production efficiency and protect natural resources."

Marketing Division

The [Marketing Division] "promotes the sale of North Carolina products, develops and expands markets, reports farm market prices on major commodities, and determines and certifies official grades of farm products."

NC State Fair

The NC State Fair takes place every October. During the rest of the year, fair buildings and grounds are rented to provide capital to operate the fairgrounds at a break-even point and to fund ground improvements.

Plant Industry Division

The mission of the Plant Industry Division is "to ensure seed and fertilizer and other soil additives offered for sale in North Carolina meet prescribed standards and are truthfully labeled, to protect the state’s agriculture and natural environment from introduced plant pests, including insects, diseases and noxious weeds, and to enhance and protect our state’s endangered and threatened plants."

Research Stations Division

The mission of the Research Stations Division is "To manage crop and livestock facilities that serve as a platform for agriculture research to make farming more efficient, productive, and profitable, while maintaining a sound environment and providing consumers with safe

Office of Small Farms

The Office of Small Farms "provides services to small, limited-resource and minority farmers who are traditionally underserved. These services are provided through outreach and education to assist this audience in making informed decisions and providing advocacy for those who do not have a voice."

Standards Division

The [Research Stations Division] "is a regulatory agency responsible for enforcing the North Carolina Weights and Measures Act (G.S. 81A), the Gasoline and Oil Inspection Law (G.S. 119), and the LP-Gas Inspection Law (G.S. 119 Article 5)."

Compensation

Article III, Section 9 defines the method by which the Agriculture Commissioner's compensation is set:

The officers whose offices are established by this Article shall at stated periods receive the compensation and allowances prescribed by law, which shall not be diminished during the time for which they have been chosen.